Pg. 102 – Geography and History question Pg. 104 – caption question

OA • Pg. 102 – Geography and History question • Pg. 104 – caption question

Chapter 5Early People of the AegeanGlobal History I Mr. Schoff

OA • In 3-5 sentences, describe a story/fairy tale/fable that you heard (now or when you were younger) that you thought was definitely true, yet later on you found out that it was 100% completely false.

Let’s read! • Setting the Scene Page 102 in your textbooks

Minoan Civilization • Crete was an island, home to a brilliant civilization • Reached its greatest success between 1750-1500 B.C. • Success based on trade, not conquest • Set up outposts all over Aegean world • Contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia, acquired ideas and technology that they adapted totheir own culture (a.k.a._______ _______?)

Palace at Knossos • Rulers lived here • Rooms for royal family, banquet halls, and working areas for artisans • Religious shrines • Walls of palace covered with colorful frescoes

Minoan Frescoes

Palace of Knossos • Leaping dolphins reflect the importance of the sea to the Minoan people • Religious images indicate that they worshiped the bull and a mother goddess • Jumping through the horns of a charging bull

Disappearance • 1400 B.C., Minoan civilization vanished • Not sure why • May have been due to… • Sudden volcanic eruption on a nearby island • Earthquake may have destroyed the palace • Tidal wave may have drowned the people of the island • Invaders certainly played a role • Mycenaeans (1st Greek-speaking people that we have a written record about)

Successful Sea Traders • Mycenaean civilization dominated Aegean sea trade between 1400-1200 B.C. • Reached Sicily, Egypt, and Mesopotamia • Learned many skills from the Minoans including art of writing • Absorbed Egyptian and Mesopotamian influences that they later gave to Greeks • They lived in separate city-states • In each, a warrior-king built a thick-walled fortress from which he ruled the surrounding villages • Wealthy rulers – treasure, fine gold ornaments

The Trojan War • Took place around 1250 B.C. • Mycenaeans best known for their part in Trojan War with Troy, a rich trading city in present-day Turkey • Troy controlled straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas • Greek legend says that the cause of the war was romance-based

Romantic Cause • After Trojan Prince Paris kidnapped Helen, beautiful wife of a Greek king, the Mycenaeans sailed to Troy to rescue her • For the next 10 years, they battled until the Greeks seized Troy and burned the city to the ground

Legend vs. Fact • For centuries, most people thought the Trojan War was just a legend until the 1870s when a wealthy German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann, set out to prove that it is fact-based • Excavated the site of ancient Troy, found evidence of fire and war dating to about 1250 B.C. • Although most details remain lost in legend, today’s historians believe that the Trojan War was an actual event

Fix this… • Based on an island in the Black Sea, Minoans spread their civilization through a series of conquests.

Fix this… • Minoan rulers lived in small, undecorated forts.

Fix this… • Minoan civilization was wiped out by a virulent plague and marauding invaders from Egypt.

Fix this… • Because they were poor sailors, Mycenaeans had to rely on other civilizations to come to them to trade.

Fix this… • In the 1870s, Heinrich Schliemann proved that the legendary Trojan War between the Minoans and the Trojans never occurred.

The Age of Homer • Dorians invaded Mycenaean civilization not long after the fall of Troy and the Mycenaeans fell apart • Their power faded, people stopped trading, and abandoned cities • From 1100-800 B.C., Greek civilization stepped backward, forgetting many skills, including writing

Age of Homer – Iliad and the Odyssey • 2 epic poems – learned about life during this time period based on these poems • May have been a combination of authors, but people credit the poems to Homer, who probably lived around 750 B.C. • Blind poet, wandered from village to village, singing of heroic deeds • Passed on orally for generations before they were finally written down

Iliad • Main source of information on the Trojan War • Even though story involves gods, goddessses and even a talking horse • At the start of the poem, Achilles, mightiest Greek warrior, is sulking in his tent because of a dispute with his commander • Even though the war turns against the Greeks, Achilles stubbornly refuses to listen to pleas that he should rejoin the fighting • He returns to battle after his friend is killed

Odyssey • Tells of struggles of the Greek hero Odysseus, and his return home to his wife Penelope, after the fall of Troy • Odysseus encounters a sea monster, a race of one-eyed giants, and a beautiful sorceress who turns men into pigs • Land of Odysseus - History.com

Both Poems • Tells much about the values of the ancient Greeks • Heroes display honor, courage, and eloquence “Every man make up his mind to fight And move on his enemy! Strong as I am, It’s hard for me to face so many men And fight with all at once…. And yet I will!” • For almost 3,000 years, the epics of Homer inspired European writers and artists

Looking Ahead • Centuries after Dorian invasions, Greeks lived in small, isolated villages • No writing and few contacts with the outside world • They developed a civilization that influenced many parts of the world • These stories became part of the Greek heritage

Let’s Review!!! • Write down any 3 facts that you did not know before you took these notes on the Early People of the Aegean

Pg. 102 – Geography and History question Pg. 104 – caption question